Tag Archives: human resources

Those of us in the service industry do not always have something tangible to show as a result of our work. Compare us to people who build things (like roads, or boats, or furniture) or to people who refine, grow, weave, or clean (to provide fuels, clothing, or foods) and we’re quickly at a loss to point to anything physical that is the result of our efforts. Extend the comparison a bit further to folks who perform, write, invent, or design, and we still fall short in terms of having a tangible product. However, that does not mean that we, specifically those of us who sell or provide a service, are not building something.

Consider the absolute best outcome of a good day’s work in the service industry: the result is a new or improved “relationship.” Yes, people who work in sales and service are building; they are building relationships.

To the casual observer, it may appear that they are explaining the features of a product, or in the case of something closer to my daily work, deploying high quality software into your business environment. And that is the day-to-day picture of what we do. However, the observer who is looking a bit deeper sees us doing more than filling a role in order to put food on the table. We are building expectations, trust, and ethical standards that result in long lasting high value relationships. In these cases “tangible” falls short of being a good measurement of value because the end result is anything but an end. Solid relationships, new processes, better standards—these have a ripple effect in the way people do business, and even if the work didn’t result in the next greatest invention, it’s still the kind of stuff that changes the world.

I’ve not presented anything revolutionary in this article. I’m hoping however, that I caught your eye with the title and that you’ll be willing to think about your hiring, training, and culture in a slightly different way. You would not assemble furniture using an unreliable design or with poor quality components. You should think of the people in your service company the same way that you think of the materials that you might use to make a salable product, with the exception that you are using these people to build relationships that make your business successful.

Are they the best people you can find? Have you trained them well and set them up for success? Are they true critical thinkers, not satisfied until they’ve found the best way of doing something? Have you set the right example with the relationships that you maintain with your clients and with your employees?

Have you communicated the right message to your employees, so they understand how to win repeat business? A smile and a willingness to view the service from the client’s point of view is a key ingredient to repeat business, and it’s not always something you can teach. The people that do your smiling are doing what they love, caring about the results and invested in the outcome—and they are the equivalent of the grapes that go into a fine wine.